NLEX to face Cebuana for PBA D-League crown

NLEX will be facing Cebuana Lhuillier for the PBA D-League Foundation Cup crown after the Road Warriors made short work of Max! Bond Super Glue Sumos, 74-61, Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The best-of-three title series starts on Tuesday, June 14, at The Arena in San Juan City., while Game 2 is on June 16, Thursday, at the Ynares Sports Arena. Game 3, if necessary, will be on June 21.

Max! Bond only led, 2-0, on a Reil Cervantes basket before being ran over by NLEX the entire game.

A Clifford Hodge dunk over Chris Camus sparked the Road Warriors' 9-0 run to end the first quarter holding a 25-14 advantage.

NLEX's 13-4 start in the second period made the game out of reach for Max! Bond as the Road Warriors showed their athletic prowess throughout the game.

"Three-fourths of the job is done but we are eyeing the bigger prize which is the championship," said NLEX coach Boyet Fernadez.

Calvin Abueva had 19 points and 11 rebounds while Ronald Pascual added 14 markers, including an alley-hoop dunk off a Pamboy Raymundo pass in the 7:54 mark of the game to give the Road Warriors a 68-40 spread in the fourth.

NLEX will face Cebuana Lhuillier after the Gems trounced PC Gilmore, 83-55, in the other semis match.

"It's going to be a tough series but we've been preparing for four months so we will be ready," said Fernandez.

Cervantes, who hit the game-winner against Blackwater last Tuesday to help Max! Bond clinch a semis seat, finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jun Jun Cabatu added 12 points for the Sumos, who shot only 31 percent from the field (22-of-70).

Max! Bond cut the deficit to 14 points, 71-57, in the fourth quarter but that was when there were less than two minutes left on the clock. – Reuben Terrado, JVP, GMA News